RF cavity resonators are used in a variety of applications including amplifiers, filters and oscillators. As filters, RF cavity resonators may be used in devices such as transmitters and receivers. When used in high power applications, such as in transmitters, some of the RF cavity resonator's elemental parts are typically subject to extreme temperature variations. For instance, as power is introduced into the RF cavity resonator, these elemental parts may heat up to temperatures that adversely affect the performance of the RF cavity resonator. This will typically cause the resonant frequency of the RF cavity resonator to become unstable, thereby affecting the performance of an RF device that incorporates the RF cavity resonator. If the RF cavity resonator is also operating in high ambient temperatures, this will worsen the stability problem. Moreover, in a worst case scenario, the elemental components of the RF cavity resonator may heat to the point of failure.
To address the instability of RF cavity resonators under high power and high ambient temperature conditions, RF device designers may compromise between the power handling capability and operating temperature of a product that incorporates the RF cavity resonator. However, this in turn leads to a compromise in the performance specifications of the product. Known temperature compensation techniques may also be utilized in the RF cavity resonator design. However, these techniques may utilize extruded heat sinks that appreciably increase the size and weight of the product. Moreover, these design techniques typically result in an increased design cycle time and may also require significant preconditioning during the manufacturing process that increases the end-product cost. In addition, conventional temperature compensation techniques, in general, do not provide a solution for the entire operating range of the product.
Thus, there exists a need for an RF cavity resonator that includes a heat transport mechanism. It is desirable that the heat transport mechanism neither compromises the operating range of the RF cavity resonator, nor appreciably increase the size, cost or design cycle time of the device incorporating the RF cavity resonator.